The Stationery Shop

by Marjan Kamali

Reprint, 336 pages

English language

Published Feb. 11, 2020 by Gallery Books.

ISBN:: 978-1-9821-0749-9

(5 reviews)

Roya, a dreamy, idealistic teenager living amid the political upheaval of 1953 Tehran, finds a literary oasis in kindly Mr. Fakhri’s neighborhood stationery shop, stocked with books and pens and bottles of jewel-colored ink.

Then Mr. Fakhri, with a keen instinct for a budding romance, introduces Roya to his other favorite customer—handsome Bahman, who has a burning passion for justice and a love for Rumi’s poetry—and she loses her heart at once. Their romance blossoms, and the little stationery shop remains their favorite place in all of Tehran.

A few short months later, on the eve of their marriage, Roya agrees to meet Bahman at the town square when violence erupts—a result of the coup d’etat that forever changes their country’s future. In the chaos, Bahman never shows. For weeks, Roya tries desperately to contact him, but her efforts are fruitless. With a sorrowful heart, she moves on—to college in California, to another man, to a life in New England—until, more than sixty years later, an accident of fate leads her back to Bahman and offers her a chance to ask him the questions that have haunted her for more than half a century: Why did you leave? Where did you go? How is it that you were able to forget me?

6 editions

pithypants reviewed The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali

Review of 'The Stationery Shop' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

3.5 Stars, rounding 4. I suspect this book will probably play best for readers who have their own "one who got away" and spend time wondering "what if?" I liked that it spanned nearly a hundred years, toggling between Tehran, California and Boston, but did so in a way that felt timeless. (I sometimes get put-off by historical fiction if the voice feels archaic – not the case with this.) It helped make the Iranian coup of 1953 come to life for me; in some ways this novel reminded me of Next Year in Havana, setting a romance on a backdrop of political unrest, so if you were a fan of that, you'd probably enjoy this book too.

altlovesbooks reviewed The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali

Review of 'The Stationery Shop' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Young Roya and Bahman meet by chance in a stationery shop in 1950s Tehran. Their connection is immediate and intense, but circumstances and life have other plans. Together, then apart, then together again, the story of their complicated feelings for each other spans a lifetime.

This didn't click with me as much as with others here, I've noticed. I think because it skewed more romance than historical fiction for my tastes? Unsure. It felt like the setting provided more window dressing and cultural context than anything historical or timely. Doe-eyed, naiive Roya irritated me a bit, especially once their engagement flounders and she spends months moping about. I also felt like Wilson got the short end of the stick in terms of character development. He dotes on Roya in the beginning of their relationship, and even later in their marriage he's clearly very fond of her, but on Roya's part it always felt like she was just tolerating him as a clearly second place choice.

If you like a really sweet romance story though, this will probably satisfy you. There's a lot to like about the writing and the descriptions (the food!), and I especially liked that the author chose to view their relationship across decades rather than at a "and they lived happily ever after" moment. Don't let my mediocre rating deter you if any of this appeals to you!

Monika

rated it

April 24, 2020

Shtakser

rated it

Sept. 5, 2021

Drakakis

rated it

Nov. 9, 2022

Subjects

Fiction, cultural heritage
Fiction, family life
Fiction, women